Disaster payments of up to $1000 per person are now available for flood-hit northwest Queensland as the scale of the recovery slowly becomes clear.

The full damage bill to homes, businesses and cattle stations is not yet known, and thousands of livestock are believed to have perished in the monsoonal event.

Essential services including sewage and electricity in Burketown are slowly being restored and damage assessments are underway to ensure it’s safe for evacuated residents to return once the water level drops.

The federal disaster recovery payments are now available for residents in Boulia, Burke and Mount Isa.

The one-off payments of $1000 for adults and $400 for children are in addition to the disaster recovery allowance available in Boulia, Burke, Carpentaria, Cloncurry, Doomadgee, Mornington and Mount Isa.

This payment covers up to 13 weeks of income support to assist people who experience a loss of income during a major disaster.

Federal and state governments have “been working around the clock” to deliver rescue equipment, supplies and support to flood-impacted areas, Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said.

“This latest financial support builds on the assistance already rolled out, and will help Queenslanders with urgent needs like food and clothing, as well as providing some security to people who’ve experienced work disruptions as a result of this weather event,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Queensland Recovery Authority chief executive Jake Ellwood has arrived in Mount Isa to tour recovery efforts and emergency fodder drops to stock have begun.

Flood repairs to the Barkly Highway, the main sealed road link between Queensland and the Northern Territory, will take at least a week and scores of dirt and gravel roads that connect cattle stations are still underwater.

The latest support is in addition to the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State disaster assistance being delivered to 41 Queensland council areas.

– AAP